Banzai Joe wrote:
If aiki ju jitsu does interest you, then we train at the church hall behind the precinct (opposite HH).

dedblud at hotmail.com if you want more info.

aiki-jutsu would be a very good starting art. for combat/self defence is holds some very sound idea's. if you stick with it, it would be a very fun art in itself... if you leave it, you'll have some valuble training.

well worth a look, in my opinion. even if its only just sitting on the sidelines, and watching the instructor.

yep!

Years ago when people wanted to join our aikido club, the instructor would ask them why, then make then sit and watch for up to 6 months before letting them on the mat. Kind of seeing if they really wanted it, all the while he studied them to see if he thought they had the correct spirit. Our aikido was very ki orientated back then.

Our AJJ class is quite relaxed. We obey etiquette and classes are always enjoyable, not sure i'd call it fun though. I was nearly unconscious 3 times within 20 mins on tuesday from:
1. misplaced atemi to the nerve on my jawline
2. misplaced strangulation which turned into a choke
3. a one-arm stranglehold that was slightly over-zealously applied, lol.

I've only almost passed out once in aikijitsu, from a kesagatame applied by a green belt, who I feared coz he was friggin solid Last hint of courage I think I displayed, going up against him, lol.

While looking for a wing chun place, I found one in Cardiff that interviewed wannabe students to make sure they had the right attitude to learning, and the right intention, and so on. I really like that, coz most places take on just anyone, and you get people who disrupt the class and don't take things seriously, and stuff, which makes it harder for the others to learn. I've faced people like that in tae kwon do and aikido, at least, people who wanna just arse around. I think it's a big plus if the sensei are a bit more selective about who they take on. Tai chi also considered the attitude of the people joining.

hi guys, i realise this thread is 5 years old lol
but i thought i may as well ask. im 16 and from nottingham too, are there any solid instructors in nottingham that do something along the lines of tai ji quan, tai chi, wing chun or anything kinda based on a Chinese art maybe even shaolin kung fu. i know of a couple instructors but im not sure if they are any good.

Shadowkin wrote:hi guys, i realise this thread is 5 years old lol
but i thought i may as well ask. im 16 and from nottingham too, are there any solid instructors in nottingham that do something along the lines of tai ji quan, tai chi, wing chun or anything kinda based on a Chinese art maybe even shaolin kung fu. i know of a couple instructors but im not sure if they are any good.

my best advice is to try as many as you can, you'll soon get a feel for if the instructor is any good, or if the style suits you. personally I've trained in shotokan karate (which I found good but too ridgid for me) a mixed style of karate (the instructor likes to try everything and bring in new ideas all the time) of which I'm an assistant instructor (well technically a full instructor just I choose to remin with the club rather than branch off) shin gi tai aikido (which I've been doing for over 9 years) and traditional ki aikido (which I've been doing for about 3 years) as well as escrima kali and various other arts which I've practiced any chance I get (such as kendo and iaido through an instructor in the aikido society, judo through a karate instructor that used to teach it and so forth).

in my time I've met all kinds on instructors some are relaxed and friendly while others have too much of an ego. I trained with one instructor on a course a few years ago, he basically told his students to do everything his way and ignore what the other instructors were teaching (such as ki development, relaxed stances instead of set ridgid stances ect) then when it came time to break for lunch he made his students remain kneeling on the side of the mat (despite being dismissed by the head of the society that was holding the course) while he went off and had his lunch then started chatting with other instructors making them wait for half hour before they could have food (which after 3 1/2 hours hard training in the summer with no fluid breaks was a bit much) which cause half the people training that day to leave during his segment as they found him too arrogant especially given his first technique involved attacking one of the other instructors with a tanto only to pull a seccond live blade tanto out when he defended stopping with it pressed against his stomach.

the only way to know if an instructor is any good is to train with them for a while and see for yourself